Harajuku Kawaii Fest

Harajuku Kawaii Festival:

Whether you despise it or absolutely love it, the concept of “kawaii” (sickly cuteness?) is ingrained in Japanese culture, and daily reminders never fail to evoke all that surrounds it: characters adorning packagings, songs in popular culture, animal-shaped foods, toys for grown ups and even some (slightly irritating?) behavior and mannerisms you simply cannot escape. Even cute handwriting is apparently something we should know about.

Japan has found one more way to combine the cutest of all things cute in a kawaii-themed festival, aptly dubbed The Harajuku Kawaii Festival. After all, Harajuku is the epicentre of a handful of subcultures, including the kawaii culture, and is eminent on the international scene: last month, The Harajuku Kawaii Festival held its activities in Paris, France, spreading Japanese-style cuteness globally.

This time, expect a performance from pint-sized, rainbow-clad icon, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – fresh from a performance at Summer Sonic – and a string of equally colorful ‘Harajuku girls’.

The festival also presents live music from Natsuko Kondo and pop duo Alcali, (cute) models and fashion shows promoting the ‘movement’ to the world.

If you can manage to read your way through the cuteness, you can definitely handle that festival. I personally feel a guilty pleasure listening to “Ponponpon”, so don’t be surprised if you find me there. (Vivian Morelli)